Benin’s President Patrice Talon said on Sunday that the “situation is completely under control” in his country after the government thwarted an attempted coup.
A group of soldiers announced earlier in the day on state television that they had ousted President Patrice Talon.
That sparked a swift response from loyal army forces, air strikes from neighbouring Nigeria and the deployment of troops from other countries in the region.
Beninese military and security sources said that around a dozen soldiers had been arrested, including those behind the coup bid.
President Talon addresses nation
West Africa has experienced a number of coups in recent years, including in Benin’s northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau.
“I would like to assure you that the situation is completely under control and therefore invite you to calmly go about your activities starting this very evening,” Talon said on state broadcaster Benin TV.
Talon is due to hand over power in April next year after 10 years in office, marked by solid economic growth, but faces the challenge of insecurity in the country’s north.
Early Sunday, soldiers calling themselves the “Military Committee for Refoundation” (CMR), announced on state television that they had met and decided that “Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic.”